


Training Day

by Nahiel



Series: Hidden Nature [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - BDSM, Angst, Anxiety, M/M, Pre-Relationship, Pre-Slash, everyone is trying their best, poor self-esteem, pre-lance/keith/shiro, pre-shklance, sub lance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-20
Updated: 2017-10-20
Packaged: 2019-01-20 04:32:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,462
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12425088
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nahiel/pseuds/Nahiel
Summary: Lance is having a rough time after the training exercises of the day, and both Allura and Keith fail to calm him down.  Shiro has to step in to lend a hand.Takes place immediately after 1x02, "Some Assembly Required."





	1. Chapter 1

Lance drew in a shuddering breath and tried his hardest not to panic.  It felt like he was doing a lot of that lately, and yet, it didn’t change the fact that he was kind of panicking.  

 

How long had the alarm been going off?  What if he’d been asleep while everyone else was dying?  What kind of a failure was he, that he didn’t even notice the alarms in the castle blaring?

 

He couldn’t wear his headphones to sleep ever again, he thought.  That had to be the stupidest idea he’d ever had in his life, wearing headphones to sleep in an active war zone.  He stumbled into the castle’s control room, only to freeze.

 

A drill.  It had been a drill.

 

He almost couldn’t breathe for a minute, he was so grateful.  He hadn’t gotten anyone killed.  His stupidity, his fuckup, it hadn’t hurt anyone other than the princess’s temper.  But since Allura hated him anyway, he supposed there were worse things that could have happened.

 

Shiro’s disappointment, though… that stung.  And the fact that Keith had beaten him there, along with literally every other Paladin… also not one of Lance’s best moments.  And he tried to ignore his frustration with himself, with the way that Keith had beaten him  _ again _ , but it just wasn’t working well.

 

So when they were partnered up for the maze thing…

 

The day just went from bad to worse, and by the end of it, even after they’d successfully formed Voltron, Lance just knew that being the Blue Paladin was the worst mistake of his life.  Submissives just weren’t cut out for being fighters, not like this.  He couldn’t… he couldn’t…

 

He closed his eyes.  He couldn’t do this.  Not if every day was going to be like today, and they were in a war zone.  Of course every day would be like today!  Or worse, with the way that his luck was going.  How could he possibly have ever thought that this was a good idea for him?  What was the matter with him?

 

He buried his head in his hands and tried his hardest not to cry.  This was awful.  And it wasn’t even like he had the excuse of being in the middle of a drop or anything, because he wasn’t.  He  _ wasn’t _ .  He was just too tired, and too stressed, and his heart was racing and he couldn’t calm himself down.

 

He didn’t even know how he would go about trying.

 

“Are you quite all right?”  Allura’s voice shocked him, and he jerked his head up to meet her sharp eyes.

 

Lance opened his mouth to say that he was fine, but closed it with a snap.  “I think you need a new Blue Paladin,” he said, his voice rough.  He didn’t look at her as he said it, because he couldn’t bare to see the look of disappointment on her face.  He didn’t want to let anyone down, but it seemed like he was destined to.

 

“A new Blue Paladin,” Allura echoed.  “Why?  Why would you say something like that, Lance? The Blue Lion chose you, and she doesn’t make mistakes.”

 

“Did she choose me, or was I just the best option for her out of the ones available?”  Lance stared down at his hands.  They were shaking.  Maybe he was in the middle of a drop and just didn’t realize it.  His hands didn’t normally shake like that.  They couldn’t.  He’d trained himself to be a sharpshooter.

 

Not that all the practice in the firing ranges would ever mean anything when he was as pathetic as he was at actual fighting.  God, what a waste it all had been.

 

“She wouldn’t have chosen anyone if she hadn’t wanted you,” Allura said.  She sounded confused, like she didn’t understand where the conversation was going, or maybe where it was coming from.  “Lance, I’m sorry, where is this coming from?”  She settled on the couch next to him, not quite close enough to make him feel uncomfortable.

 

Lance didn’t look at her.  “I know you would have rathered have anyone else as your Blue Paladin,” he said to her.  “Someone more competent, someone who could actually wake up during an alarm and get to the control room fast enough to make a difference, someone who could—”

 

“Lance!” she snapped.  It was the command in her voice, the hint of a dom’s aura, that shut Lance up.  He thought Alteans were non-dynamic, but maybe they weren’t?  “You’re just starting out as a Paladin.  I admit that I was disappointed with everyone’s performance today, not just your own, but I also acknowledge that you’re all very new to this.  If I am harsh, it is only because we don’t have time for me to be anything but.  It certainly doesn’t mean that I think you’re going to be a bad Paladin.”

 

Allura probably intended for her words to be reassuring, and if Lance hadn’t already worked himself into a state, they probably would have been.  As it was, he just nodded along with her as she spoke, her words going in one ear and out the other.  She was trying to make him feel better, and would say anything to accomplish that goal.

 

“I don’t know how to help you,” she said, and now she sounded frustrated with him.

 

And Lance was raw, after a day of trying and failing to do things  _ right _ , to be a good Paladin, and that frustration just grated over his raw emotions like salt on an open wound.  He flinched from it.

 

“She means to say that you did a good job today, Lance.”

 

And of course Keith would find them, would hear what Allura was saying to him, would lie to him to try and settle him down so that he wouldn’t have to deal with Lance going into a full blown meltdown.  Lance jerked to his feet, still not looking up, and stalked out of the room, not really paying attention to where he was going.

 

He didn’t make it far, though, before Keith grabbed him by the wrist.  “Hey!” Keith snapped.

 

Lance flinched to hear it.  Now Keith was mad at him, too.  Because he was such a problem for everyone.  What had he been thinking, joining the Garrison?  He should have known better, he should have done what his parents would have wanted him to do, let them find a nice dom for him to settle down with, maybe adopt a few kids or something…

 

“Hey,” Keith said, gentling his tone.  “You really did a good job today.”

 

“You’re just saying that,” Lance finally said, his voice harsh.  “I did a shit job.  I couldn’t follow directions, I couldn’t even get out of bed on time!”

 

Keith stepped closer to him, into his personal space, and Lance shivered, because having a dom in his personal space, even  _ Keith _ , was new and strange and he couldn’t decide if he liked it or not.  Keith gave off an aura very much like Shiro’s, though, and whether Lance wanted to admit it or not, it was… it was a comforting aura.

 

He didn’t even know what to do with that.

 

“Have you ever known me to just say anything?” Keith asked.  His voice was soft, now, almost a croon, and the sound was soothing to Lance.

 

“I don’t know you that well,” Lance objected.  But he knew that he was just being an idiot now.  Keith had never been the type to say nice things just because it might make someone feel better.

 

“Lance,” Keith murmured.  He touched Lance’s neck, his fingers slow and gentle, like he was ready to pull back at a moment’s notice.  “Do you want me to get Shiro for you?  Would he be more of a help to you right now?”

 

Lance flinched, because yes, Shiro probably would help, but he wasn’t about to  _ bother _ the man, not after they’d all just nearly killed themselves training.  He couldn’t… he wouldn’t… He was fine.  “I’m fine!”  He didn’t jerk away, but he wanted to.

 

Keith kneaded his neck with gentle fingers.  “You’re not,” he disagreed simply.  “But if you don’t want me to get Shiro, then you have to let me help you.  Because now that I know that you’re in distress, I can’t just walk away from you.”

 

Lance closed his eyes.  “I can’t,” he muttered.  He didn’t know how to let Keith help him.  He was just… he was just really bad at being a sub, and bad at being a fighter, and bad at being a pilot, and just… just bad at everything.

 

Keith used his grip on Lance’s neck to tug him closer, until Lance’s head rested against his shoulder.  “Let me try?” Keith asked.  He sounded almost hesitant, like he wasn’t quite sure what he was doing.

 

And why would he be?  It wasn’t like Keith had a ton of experience with having a sub, probably as much experience as Lance had with having a dom.

 

“Yeah,” he said finally, tiredly.  “You can try.”  He didn’t know what else to do, and he had to try something, or he felt like he was going to fall apart.  And if Allura was determined to keep him as the Blue Paladin, because she thought he could do a good job or whatever, then he had to learn to let Keith or Shiro help him.

 

It was the only way that he’d be able to handle the stress of it.  So yeah, he’d let Keith try, and hope that whatever he had in mind worked.  And if not, he’d probably even let Keith go get Shiro, because Lance was tired, and sad, and maybe possibly closer to dropping than he wanted to admit, and one of them could probably help him with that.

 

“Okay,” Keith murmured.  “Let’s get you to your room, then, and we’ll go from there.”

 

ooOOooOOoo

 

It felt strange, letting Keith put him on his knees, and Lance honestly couldn’t say if it was a good strange or a bad strange.  It wasn’t like it had been with Shiro, where he’d been… not eager, not quite, but sort of.  But he wasn’t reluctant to go down like Keith was telling him to, not really.

 

It was weird.

 

There was a chance that Lance wasn’t at his best at the moment and, as such, wasn’t really forming coherent thoughts.

 

Fuck.

 

“You did really well today,” Keith said softly.  He smoothed a hand over Lance’s hair, the touch serving to ground him.  “You weren’t perfect, of course not, and there are things that need improving, but we all need to work together to improve them.  I know that I need to get better with teamwork, for example.”

 

Lance let out a small little snort, and tried to hide it by turning into a cough.  Yeah, Keith definitely needed to do better with teamwork, but…  “So do I,” he said, his voice small.

 

“You do,” Keith said.  “You need to get better about understanding that I’m not necessarily trying to attack you with everything I say to you.”

 

That was almost enough to jar Lance from the floaty state he’d entered.  “Maybe you’re not, but you’re really good at pushing my buttons, mullet.”

 

“Would you stop—”  Keith paused and let out a shaky laugh.  “Don’t try to deflect from the issue at hand, Lance.”

 

And Lance hadn’t even realized he’d been doing it, trying to distract Keith by making him angry, but now that the Red Paladin mentioned it…  “Sorry,” Lance muttered.  He tilted his head into Keith’s hand as a way of apologizing.

 

“Maybe I should go get Shiro,” Keith said, his voice low like he didn’t want Lance to overhear him saying it.

 

That hurt, more than it had any right to.  Lance’s breath hitched, and Keith froze.  “Go, then,” Lance said, his voice choked.  Why was he so fragile?  They hadn’t even fought a real enemy!  There was nothing for him to be upset about!  And Keith had told him that he’d done fine, so why did he still feel like he was going to fall apart at any moment?

 

Why wasn’t he better than this?

 

“I don’t want to leave you,” Keith said uncertainly.  Still, despite his words, he’d shifted, was poised to spring up from the bed at a moment’s notice.  “Are you going to be okay if I go and get him?”

 

Okay?  Lance wasn’t okay now, why would he be okay if Keith left?  It felt like Keith’s hand on his hair, warm and solid, was the only thing holding him together.  How could Keith leave him like this?

 

But before Keith could move, before Lance could try to tell him that he would be fine even though it would be a lie, there was a sharp knock on the door, and then it opened before either of them could respond.

 

“What’s going on?” Shiro asked, and Lance really did start crying then.

 

How pathetic was he, that he disturbed not one, but both of the doms in the castle because of a little depression over a few bad training exercises?  Or was that even the problem?  Because Lance had been depressed before, of course he had, and it never felt like he was going to fly apart at the seams like this.

 

“Lance is trying very had to pretend like he’s okay, but he’s not succeeding,” Keith reported.  “I walked in on him having a breakdown while the Princess did her best to try and talk him out of it. She, also, was not succeeding.”

 

Lance flinched at the blunt assessment.  “I’m fine,” he said desperately.

 

“You’re not fine,” Keith snapped.

 

Lance flinched again and bowed his head.  Keith’s hand wasn’t providing any kind of stability, now, and instead felt like something he didn’t want on him.  He shoved it off of him and shifted away, curling in on himself.

 

“Keith!”  Shiro drew in a deep breath and let it out through his teeth.  “You and I will talk later.  Why don’t you let me handle this today?”

 

Keith, when Lance looked up at him, looked almost hurt by Shiro’s dismissal, and Lance felt for him, he really did, but he couldn’t deal with it right now.  He was tired and not tired and he just knew he was about to fall apart and Shiro’s stability seemed like a very good idea at the moment.

 

“Yeah,” Keith said finally.  He stood up and left the room.  At the door, he paused and said, “I’m sorry, Lance.”  Then he continued on his way.

 

The guilt that rose within Lance was almost crippling, and he tried his hardest to block it out.  He didn’t need to feel guilty, he hadn’t done anything wrong!  Why was he upset when all he’d done was not respond well to Keith?  There wasn’t anything bad about that!

 

“Can I sit?” Shiro asked quietly, distracting Lance from the whirlpool of guilt and anxiety that threatened to suck him under.

 

“Yeah,” he said.  He didn’t move from the floor, didn’t move to kneel for Shiro, even though he wanted to.  Instead, he let his head fall to rest in his hands and pressed the palms of his hands into his eyes.  It didn’t help.  It just made him see spots.

 

“Come sit by me,” Shiro suggested, his voice warm.  “Not on the bed if you don’t want to, though you’re certainly welcome.  And you don’t have to kneel.  Just… just come closer, okay?”

 

Lance hesitated, but gradually shifted closer to Shiro, so that his shoulder rested against Shiro’s leg, and his back was pressed against the bed.  “Like this?” he asked.

 

“Exactly,” Shiro responded, approval warming his voice.  “Very good.”  His hand landed on the back of Lance’s neck, like Keith’s had earlier, and like Keith’s, Shiro’s touch served to ground him, to make him feel less like he was going to blow away.

 

Lance closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath, then let it out slowly.  Shiro squeezed as he did, and Lance felt some of the tension in him draining away.  He settled more firmly against Shiro’s leg, relaxing just a little bit.

 

“Let’s talk about today,” Shiro murmured.  He kept his words slow and even, and there was nothing threatening about the words, for all that Lance didn’t love them.

 

“Okay,” Lance said, his voice small.  Shiro would tell him all the ways in which he messed up, all the ways in which he wasn’t suited to be a Paladin of Voltron.  It was coming, and he was ready for it.

 

“You did a great job with the mind melding exercise,” Shiro murmured.  He squeezed Lance’s neck as he spoke, the touch solid and warm.  “You tried your hardest to work with Keith during the maze, and I know that wasn’t easy for you.  I appreciate the efforts that you made, and I want you to know that, while of course you need improving, you didn’t do badly today.”

 

It was almost the exact same thing that Keith had said to him, but Shiro… he didn’t sound like he was saying it just to say it, just to make Lance stop panicking.  Maybe Keith hadn’t been saying it for that reason either, maybe that had been Lance projecting on him, but either way, Shiro’s words helped to soothe Lance, while Keith had only managed to rile him up even further.

 

Still…  “I slept through the alarm because I was wearing my headphones,” Lance whispered.  “I was having trouble sleeping, and that helped, but I know that I can’t do it anymore.”  He had no idea how he’d be able to sleep in the alien environment of the castle without his headphones, but he would have to do his best.

 

Shiro was quiet for a long moment, considering, then he said, “That’s not necessarily the case.”  He shifted his hand, so that it rested on Lance’s head, and began to stroke his hair in long, soothing motions.  “If you need them to sleep, we can just make sure that someone wakes you up in an emergency situation.”

 

“If it’s an emergency,” Lance started.

 

“You won’t be of any help to anyone if you aren’t well-rested,” Shiro responded.  “In an emergency situation, I promise that I, or another Paladin, will come wake you up if you should need us to.”  He stroked Lance’s hair again, and Lance sighed and relaxed into the touch.

 

He closed his eyes and melted even further against Shiro, the tension draining from him.  The lightning under his skin began to settle, and Shiro’s knee was far more comfortable than it had any right to be.

 

Shiro laughed a little and coaxed him up onto the bed with him.  Lance, now fully succumbed to that floaty feeling, let himself be coaxed, and settled deeper into the bed.  “Are you going under?” Shiro asked softly as he stroked Lance’s hair and tucked him under the covers.  “Or are you falling asleep?”

 

Lance honestly didn’t know which was the case.  “Dunno,” he said, the words slurring.  “I’m not familiar enough with going under to tell.”

 

Shiro continued to stroke his hair.  “Do you want me to stay for the night?” he asked.  “If you’re under, I’m not comfortable leaving you on your own.”

 

Lance thought about it.  This feeling wasn’t quite the same as what he’d felt the other day, when Shiro had put him under because he’d been in the middle of dropping.  It felt warm, floaty, and safe, but it also felt a lot like falling asleep.  And he was so tired, and he didn’t want to make Shiro stay with him when he probably had other things to be doing.

 

Like sleeping himself, for example.

 

He smiled up at Shiro.  “I’m okay.  I think I’m just falling asleep.”  His eyes drifted closed, and as he fell asleep, he heard Shiro leaving the room.


	2. Chapter 2

Keith paced outside of Lance’s room.  Whatever Shiro was doing in there, it seemed like it was taking forever.  What could be taking so long?  Surely Lance didn’t need that much help?  Nothing had gone wrong!

 

That wasn’t quite right.  Everything had gone wrong, but nothing had gone wrong permanently.  Lance was fine.  He wasn’t the best pilot right now, but neither were Pidge or Hunk, and neither one of them were freaking out about it!  So why was Lance?

 

And then Lance’s door opened, and Shiro stepped out.  He looked tired, and when he glanced at Keith, that look only intensified.  Keith didn’t know what he’d done wrong, what he’d done to deserve being looked at like that, but it hurt.  A lot.

 

“Sorry,” he said, looking down at the floor.  He’d tried to help Lance, and he’d failed, and he was pretty sure that he’d only made it worse, which was worse than if he hadn’t tried at all.

 

“What are you…”  Shiro stepped up to him and put his hands on his shoulders.  “Keith, you don’t have anything to be sorry for,” he said.  He pulled Keith into a hug.

 

Keith felt like he should have resisted, because the last thing he needed was to be coddled, but…  He leaned against Shiro and let himself be hugged.  “I only made things worse,” he said, and was horrified to find that it was hard to force the words past the lump in his throat.  He tried to swallow it, but it didn’t work, so he just closed his eyes and hid his face so that Shiro couldn’t see it if he started crying.

 

Why would he cry, anyway?  The very idea was ridiculous.  He was fine.  And doms didn’t cry, anyway.

 

“But you tried to help,” Shiro pointed out.  “And that was so very good of you.  I’m proud of you for trying, Keith.”

 

“He’s okay?” Keith asked.  He didn’t try to pull away from Shiro, because being held was, he was finding, very comforting.  Who had ever taught him that doms didn’t need this?

 

“He’s fine,” Shiro confirmed.  “I got him to go to sleep.  I wasn’t sure if I should stay with him, but he said that he would be fine, and I was… reluctant to push.  But he seemed much better by the time I left.  Much more relaxed.”

 

“What did I do wrong?” Keith asked.  There was a note in his voice that he didn’t intend to be there, a sort of needy note, and he tried his hardest to ignore it.  To ignore the way he  _ needed _ Shiro to tell him what had gone wrong.  He didn’t  _ need _ anything.  He just… he just wanted to do better next time, that was all.

 

Shiro stilled, his arms tensing around Keith.  “Keith?” he asked, wariness entering his voice.

 

Keith jerked away immediately.  “What?” he asked, crossing his arms over his chest.  He glared at Shiro, daring him to say anything.

 

Shiro stared back, blank faced.  “Something you’d like to tell me?” he asked.

 

Keith took another step back.  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said.  He backed up once more.  “I just wanted to talk about Lance, and see what I could do differently next time, that was all.”

 

“Uh-huh,” Shiro said.  “That’s all you needed.”  He studied Keith for what felt like an eternity, the scrutiny making Keith incredibly uncomfortable.  “He doesn’t take well to anger,” he finally said.

 

“What?” Keith blinked at Shiro.

 

“Lance,” Shiro clarified.  “He doesn’t take well to anger.  And you… no offense, Keith, but you’re not the most easygoing of people.  I think if you want to work with Lance one on one, without me, that’s fine, but you’ll have to be much gentler than you normally are.”

 

Keith wrinkled his nose.  “I’m not good at gentle,” he muttered.  And then he got a little angry, because, “And anyway, I tried that!  I tried to be gentle, and it helped, but then it just got worse again and I didn’t know what to do about it!”

 

“Don’t forget that Lance’s perception of you plays a factor in this as well,” Shiro said quietly.  “If Lance thinks that you’re angry with him, whether you are or not, it will make things worse.  And, Lance being Lance, he’s probably going to pretty much assume that you’re mad at him, at least while we’re starting out.”

 

Keith rolled his eyes and looked away.  “So you’re saying that I should just wait for you next time?”

 

Shiro hesitated.  Then, quietly, he said, “It might not be a bad idea to wait for me.”

 

Keith closed his eyes against the words.  “Got it,” he muttered, and tried to keep his own frustration out of his voice.  It had no place in the conversation.  “How’d you know about tonight, anyway?”

 

“Allura came for me,” Shiro replied.  He stepped into Keith’s personal space and put his hands on his shoulders.  “Keith, this isn’t necessarily because you’ve done something wrong.  I just think that you and Lance need time to get used to one another in a more… a more casual capacity.”

 

Keith cracked open an eye to glower up at Shiro.  “You think domming someone is a casual capacity?” he asked, a bit incredulous.  He could think of only a handful of things less casual than that.  At least for him.  Some people had numerous relationships throughout their lives, sometimes more than they could ever remember.  Keith didn’t think he’d ever be one of those people.

 

Shiro winced.  “Maybe that was the wrong word for what I’m trying to say,” he allowed.  “But you understand what I’m saying.  You both have some rough edges.  Keep in mind that Lance isn’t used to letting himself be a sub, and you aren’t used to taking care of anyone but yourself.  Neither of these things are bad; it just means that you’re going to have to work together to make this work.”

 

Keith pulled back before he could give in to the urge that was growing inside of him, the one that practically begged him to lean further into Shiro’s arms, and nodded jerkily.  “Got it,” he said, and took a step back.  “Was there anything else?”

 

Shiro stared at him, and Keith knew that Shiro was reading something in him that Keith didn’t necessarily want to be read.  “No,” Shiro said slowly.  “But Keith, you know that I’m here for you, too, right?”

 

“Got it,” Keith said again.  “If I need to talk to you, I will.  I promise.”

 

He turned on his heel and left, heading for the training room, before Shiro could get it into his head to press the issue.  Keith was too wound up, now, and needed to calm down.  Sparring with the stupid robots would probably help with that.


End file.
